


Like Fire and Ice

by Chatterbox



Category: Hit the Floor (TV), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternative Universe: X-men, M/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-05-31 00:38:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6448555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chatterbox/pseuds/Chatterbox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Zude X-Men AU no one asked for. I saw people on Tumblr complaining about the lack of Zude AUs so, since I'm a weird person, I started writing a Zude X-Men AU. I hope you enjoy it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys will enjoy this weird fanfic. Thank you for giving it a go, anyway :)

“So, it’s here?” Zero asked when they arrived in front of a small house in the suburbs, even though he already knew it was. Pete was never wrong about these things. 

“I suppose so yes”, Laura replied, even though he knew it wasn’t necessary. Zero was probably just asking to fill the silence. It was the first time they did this without Pete and, even if he refused to admit it, he was quite nervous. 

“It’s gonna be fine Gid, you know that right?” Laura asked him.

“Yeah, sure”, Zero shrugged, trying to play it off. It failed, but Laura didn’t say anything, letting him try to keep his ‘tough guy’ reputation intact. 

“Okay, let’s get in, shall we?” He then asked, trying to divert Laura’s attention from his nervousness. 

He then walked to the door and knocked: unsurprisingly, no one answered. He turned the door handle, hoping it wasn’t locked. Fortunately, it wasn’t. He came in with Laura right behind him, noticing immediately that something was off… he was feeling something weird washing over his body. Only when he saw his sister crossing her arms over her body and shivering violently did he understand that what he was feeling was cold… which was surprising considering he wasn’t supposed to be affected by it. 

“Hello… Is someone in?” He asked tentatively, walking further into the house, while Laura was occupied shivering, her teeth chattering. If Zero could feel the cold, he couldn’t imagine how she was feeling right now. The thing with being a mutant able to produce fire and control it - well, more or less anyway - was that he wasn’t vulnerable to the cold (or the heat for that matter). Laura, on the other hand, wasn’t that lucky.

“Want some heat, sis?” Zero asked.

”That would be nice yes”, she answered with a grateful smile. 

Zero increased his body heat and took his sister into his arms. She sighed contentedly, feeling the heat engulfing her. They stayed like that for a moment until she cleared her throat and announced calmly: 

“Gid, your hair’s on fire again”. 

“Shit…” Zero cursed, concentrating in order to extinguish the fire.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, you made great progress. Remember when we arrived at the institute, you kept putting things on fire by accident”, Laura reminded him when she saw her brother frowning angrily. 

“Yeah… not my finest moments I have to say”, Zero cringed. “Now let’s go, we have someone to help”. 

They both searched the house to find what - or more like who - they had come for, and finally found the guy (Jude, if Zero remembered well) in his bedroom, curled up on his bed in his boxer-briefs. Zero couldn’t help but notice he was gorgeous, but now was not the time for that: the poor guy was trembling badly and looked globally distressed. 

Laura approached him and put a hand on his arm: it felt like touching a giant icicle. 

“Zero, could you try to find him some clothes please?”

He nodded and started searching the cupboards, quickly finding out they were all empty. He found Jude’s clothes in the washing machine… Each and every one of them were frozen. 

Meanwhile, Laura was talking to the man, who seemed to be barely awake. 

“We’re here to help you alright, if you come with us we can help”

Laura saw him nodding weakly. Zero came back into the room and told his sister that the clothes were not “wearable”. 

“I guess we’ll have to wrap him in his bed sheets, it’s probably the only thing that isn’t frozen”. 

“Can you get up?” Laura asked Jude, who nodded weakly once again and started getting up very slowly. Once he was up, it was clear that he didn’t have much energy left, as he was not stable on his legs, which kept trembling. 

Zero then took the sheets from the bed and, without a word, wrapped them around Jude. Only when he was done did he ask: 

“Won’t you ask us where we are going to take you?”

“I… I d-don’t care… a-anymore… about a-anything”, he stammered, exhausted. 

Zero did the same thing as he did for Laura and took the man into his arms. First, he tensed, not expecting it, but he relaxed as soon as he felt the heat, his legs giving out from under him. As long as he remembered, he had never felt warmth in his entire life, and if that was how it felt, he wanted to feel it again and again. 

Jude couldn’t process everything in his state, but he did understand that the man who was holding him, Zero was it? Was probably like him… and suddenly he didn’t feel like a freak anymore, after years of being an outcast, he had finally met someone like him (well, somewhat like him, at least). 

Surprisingly, Zero was also experiencing something new. The man felt cold to the touch, and he could feel it, as he had when he had entered the house… He didn’t know how it was possible but what he did know was that it felt good. Really good. 

The feeling of warming yourself over a radiator after a day spent in the cold winter wind or cooling off in the sea during a hot afternoon at the beach were both great feelings that Jude and Zero had never experienced. Now they were experiencing something similar and nothing had ever felt that brilliant. 

The cold or the heat could become unbearable if they lost control of their powers. Zero had gone through that a few months ago when his mutation had become too powerful, and it now seemed that Jude was going through the same process. 

“It’s going to be alright now”, Zero assured him, rubbing his back to provide more heat to his slowly warming body, thinking of how he would have loved to have that man near him when he was going through his own loss of control and had ended up literally burning up.

Laura felt awkward, as if he was intruding on some kind of personal moment. She was also shocked to see Gideon like that, when he was usually pretty closed off with people he didn’t know, he imagined he felt a connection with Jude because of their somewhat similar, yet opposed, powers. 

She cleared her throat and asked:

“Shall we go?”

Zero turned towards her, seemingly just remembering she was there. He looked a bit embarrassed and just nodded before walking to the door, helping Jude who still had trouble staying awake and standing on his two feet.

“Do you want me to levitate him?” Laura proposed.

“Wouldn’t the neighbours find that weird?” Zero asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, you’re right, that was a shitty idea”

When they finally arrived to the car, he helped Jude to the backseat and then sat down in the passenger seat, beside Laura.

“We should have taken Terrene with us”, Zero told her. His mutant strength would have been a great help, for sure. 

“Yeah ‘cause me levitating a man isn’t acceptable but Terrence carrying a more than six-foot tall man as if he weighed nothing is”.

Zero rolled his eyes and replied:

“Damn, you’re touchy, sis”

“Am not”, she pouted, starting the car. She said nothing until they arrived at the institute. She so was touchy. 

Their arrival at the institute didn’t go unnoticed, as all the water in the building turned into ice. Plus, a guy coming in with just bed sheets covering him wasn’t something you saw every day.

“I’m going to find you some clothes, you stay here with Laura, okay?” Jude asked softly. He then waited for Jude to acknowledge what he had just said before going upstairs to get some clothes. 

He came back a few minutes later with a long-sleeved T-shirt and some sweatpants of his. He had to ask Terrence, which had not been nice, since they didn’t really get along (and it was an understatement). He would have given Jude his own clothes, but he looked even more built then Zero, so he was afraid they wouldn’t fit. 

Jude would have to let go of the sheets that were covering him to take the clothes from Zero, which he wasn’t in the best situation for, since they were standing in the middle of the institute’s living room, with several of the mutants giving them curious looks. 

“Come on, follow me”, Zero said, taking Jude to a more private place.

Once they were in one of the bathrooms, Zero put the clothes he was carrying on the edge of the sink and informed:

“I’ll be right in front of the door if you need anything.” 

Jude nodded and, just as Zero was going to exit the bathroom, he called him back to thank him, his voice hoarse from disuse. Jude still didn’t really know where he was or what these guys wanted from him exactly, but whoever they were, he felt as if he couldn’t thank them enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd really like it if you guys let me know what you think about this, so I know if I should continue it or not (since I have not yet written anything other than what I posted for this fic ^^).


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading, reviewing and leaving kudos, it makes my day <3

“Do you need anything else?” Zero asked Jude once he was dressed and out of the bathroom. 

“Mmh… Some water would be nice” Jude admitted. He had not been able to drink anything since his loss of control had started, and he had to suck on icicles to survive. Not the best conditions, to say the least. 

Zero led Jude to the kitchen, where he served him a glass of water. However, as was to be expected, the water froze the second Jude’s hand came into contact with the glass. He sighed louder than he had intended, but he could not bring himself to care: he was fed up with all this. He felt so helpless he could cry. 

“Hey… It’s okay, Jude” Zero said softly, noticing his distress. “Wait for it…” He then said, before opening one of the drawers and rummaging through it. He found what he was looking for and asked Jude for his glass. 

The ice melted as quickly as it had formed and Zero was then able to put the straw he had found in the water. 

“Have a drink” He then told Jude with his most charming smile, handing the glass to him. 

Granted, only being able to drink when Zero was holding his glass was not the most practical thing for Jude, but at least he could have something else than icicles. Definitely an improvement, if you asked him. 

“Thank you” Jude said, blushing brightly. 

“You’re welcome, man” 

“I… Where are we, exactly?” Jude asked, taking a first real look at his surroundings. 

“We’re at the Davenport institute for… well for people with special abilities…”, he was going to say ‘mutants’, but he thought it might be better to actually wait a while before dropping that bomb, “I’m sure this is going to bring a hell of a lot more questions, so fire away”

Jude opened his mouth and stayed like that, mouth agape, for a few seconds, probably debating on which question he should be asking first. 

“How many of us is there, exactly?” 

“God, I don’t know… A damn lot.” Zero answered. 

Pete was the one who took care of finding the mutants, since he was a powerful telepath, so Zero did not know the exact number of mutants there was, he wasn’t even sure Pete himself knew the exact number, but he did know there were lots of them. 

Zero’s answer caused a sharp intake of breath from Jude. 

“Are you okay?” Zero asked with concern. He was afraid he had already messed up… it was important for him to help Jude, not only because it was the first time he welcomed a mutant without Pete, but also because of how similar Jude’s powers were to his own. He wanted to help Jude because he was going through what Zero himself had been through. He knew how awful it could get. 

“Yes… I… Actually, I’ve never been better” Jude declared, surprising Zero. 

“It’s just… I… I felt so alone before now… my family never accepted me… so, just knowing that there are other people like me out there feels… great. It feels great” He explained. 

“I’m sorry about your family…” Zero told him, feeling once again that he could relate to Jude’s case. His family had never accepted Laura’s and his powers either, that was why they had ended up at the institute in the first place. “I’d like telling you that the people here are one big happy family… but to be honest, some of the institute’s members are huge assholes, in my opinion… so” 

This actually pulled a laugh out of Jude. 

“I’m glad you find my social struggles so amusing” Zero said in good humour. 

“Sorry” Jude said, still smiling. 

“Talking about assholes…” Zero muttered under his breath as Jelena entered the kitchen. 

“Hey there, blondie…” She drawled, sitting down on one of the stools. 

“What do you want?” Zero asked with hostility. He knew she was up to no good: she always was. 

“No need to get your panties in a twist” she said, biting slowly into an apple she had picked up on the kitchen counter. “I just saw you come in here with a newbie so I came to welcome him”. 

As if he was going to believe that. 

“Well, you welcomed him, now you can go back to beheading babies or whatever else it is you do in your spare time” Zero told her with a glare. 

She tutted while shaking her head. “Not before knowing what he can do… you know me better than that, Zero” 

“What he can or cannot do is none of your fucking business” He replied, barely keeping himself from adding ‘bitch’. He didn’t want things to get ugly, or Pete would have his head. He had warned them countless times to stop fighting, but fuck if that was going to happen. Zero could make efforts, fine, but he was not a saint. Jelena had a gift when it came to getting on people’s nerves, and she loved flaunting it ceaselessly to about everyone. 

“You don’t own the guy, he can answer himself.” Jelena said, chewing loudly on her apple. 

“Yes, I can.” Jude said, and then he paused for dramatic effect. “And I think you should go.” 

Zero looked at him, trying to hide his surprise. He didn’t think Jude was going to stick with him. After all, he barely knew the guy. 

“Okay, have it your way… I’ll know soon enough, anyway” Jelena said, and she was most probably right too, no matter how bad Zero wished it wasn’t true. 

“Why did you do that?” He asked, once Jelena was finally gone. 

“Why did I do what?” 

“Why did you tell her to leave just because I said so?” 

“Bad vibe… Plus, you helped me and you’ve been really nice… so you made a great first impression on me. That girl, on the other hand… she’s been rude and obnoxious, so…” Jude explained. 

Zero looked at Jude in awe for a second or two. “Well… thank you”. 

“No problem.” Jude assured him. “Now… not that I don’t have a thousand more important questions, but is there somewhere I can get some sleep? I wouldn’t want to be rude but I’m exhausted” 

“Oh… sure, yes, I’m gonna show you your room.” 

Jude’s room was the one right next to Zero’s, that was why he had been sent to find him in the first place, and the more he stayed with Jude, the happier he was that they would be neighbours. 

“Thank you again…” Jude said, once they were in his room. 

“You can stop thanking me, Jude, it’s really no trouble at all.” Zero said, and he was being honest, which surprised him: usually, he didn’t help anyone apart from his sister, because he didn’t really trust anyone apart from her… and maybe Pete. 

“See you later?” Jude said in a questioning tone. 

Zero didn’t know if the aforementioned questioning tone was due to the fact Jude didn’t know if he was going to see him later, or to the fact he didn’t know why Zero was still in the middle of his room, staring into space. However, it did make him notice that he WAS, in fact, still in the middle of Jude’s room, staring into place. 

“Oh… yes, see you later man” Zero said, hiding his embarrassment. Smooth Gideon, real smooth. 

“Hey Zero”, his sister greeted him once he entered the living-room. She was calling him Gideon when it was just the two of them, but she always called him Zero when there were other people around. Zero did not want people to know his real name, and Laura respected that, even though she didn’t agree with his point of view. 

“Hey... what are you doing?” He answered, sitting down next to her on the couch.

“Watching Harry Potter.”

“Again?” He asked, incredulous. How many times could she watch these movies before finally getting bored with them? 

“Yes, again, Harry Potter is a master piece, alright?” She replied, as she did every time the topic came up. 

“Alright, alright… Don’t look at me like that, it looks like you are going to kill me” Zero told her. He was tough, but sometimes he was a bit afraid of his sister, and no one even made fun of him for it, because everyone was a bit afraid of her. 

“So, how did it go with Jude?” 

Zero glanced around before answering, and he noticed Derek and Terrence were playing videogames a few meters away from them. He didn’t feel like talking about Jude while these dicks could hear what he was saying. 

“Would you mind going for a walk?” He asked Laura. 

“But… the movie isn’t over.” 

“Sis, you saw that movie three thousand times, at least.” He replied, trying to communicate with his eyes by looking at Derek and Terrence pointedly. 

“Alright, fine, let’s go.” She sighed. 

He knew what she thought about his suspicion toward Jelena and her gang, but he didn’t really care that she was calling him paranoid, as long as she humoured him. 

“Not this again, Gideon. We talked about this” She told him once they were outside. 

“I don’t trust the motherfuckers, Laura… I can feel they’re up to something… Especially Jelena, but I’m pretty sure the others are her minions.” Zero explained for the umpteenth time. 

“You’re exaggerating. She’s a bitch, not some superhero movie’s villain” Laura rolled her eyes. 

“I just don’t trust her…” Zero repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I know, bro, I know… But come on, don’t let her ruin the day once again… Is Jude alright?” She asked, thinking that a change of topic was in order. 

“Yeah… I left him in his room, he wanted to get some rest… I hope he’ll be alright.”

“He made quite an impression on you, didn’t he?” His sister asked knowingly. 

Zero thought for a second about denying it, but ended up telling the truth anyway because he knew Laura would call him out on his bullshit. 

“Yes, he did.” 

At that, Laura smiled and hugged him unexpectedly. 

“What was that for?” He asked, once she had let him go. 

“Nothing… I’m just glad you’re finally making friends…” She told him. 

“You make it sound like I’m a hermit” He huffed. 

“And, you’re not?” 

He glared at her half-heartedly, knowing she was partially (if not completely) right. 

When they got back to the institute, Zero went to his room to get his ball, as he felt like having a few shots on the pitch behind the mansion. However, he quickly changed his plans when he arrived in the corridor and felt the cold infiltrating his skin. He shivered and it startled him: he had never shivered before. 

He knocked on Jude’s door. 

“C-c-come in” Jude called from the inside, stammering because of his chattering teeth. 

When he came in, he nearly slipped because of the thin layer of ice which had formed on the wooden floor. Jude’s state was even worse than the floor’s: his hair was frozen, the poor man’s skin was blue, and he was shaking as badly as when Zero had found him at his house sooner in the day. 

“Oh, Jude…” Zero whispered, his heart constricting painfully in his chest in empathy. “Have you been able to sleep at all?” 

Jude looked up and sniffed miserably. “No” he answered in a broken voice. 

“Why didn’t you come and get me?” Zero asked him, sitting down next to him on the bed. 

“I didn’t want to disturb you…” Jude replied, not looking at him. 

“Hey… you’re not disturbing, alright? You can ask for help anytime you want.” Zero assured, and when he saw Jude wasn’t answering, he pressed: “Jude?” 

“Yes… okay, thank you.” 

Zero then took his shirt off and made Jude scoot over so he could lie down beside him. 

“What are you doing?” Jude asked, his eyes widening. 

“I’m helping.” Zero answered matter-of-factly before taking Jude in his arms. Just as he had before, Jude tensed and then relaxed under Zero’s body warmth. 

“I could get used to this” Jude mumbled sleepily after a few minutes. 

Zero smiled at the confession and replied: “Me too, Jude, me too…”, even though Jude could not hear him, having fallen asleep already.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't thank you enough for the support guys <3 You're the reason this fic exists ;)

“Jude, you’re going to be fine. Don’t worry, Pete’s not going to eat you.” Zero assured Jude, right before he was to meet Pete for the first time.

“I know… I’m not worried.” Jude replied, lying blatantly.

“Jude…” Zero warned, looking at him pointedly. 

“Okay, okay… I’m nervous, I’ll admit that much.” Jude admitted with a sigh. 

“Pete’s a nice guy and, seriously, he’s not as intimidating as it may seem.” Zero said, trying to reassure Jude. “And he’s gonna be a great help for you.” He added. 

Pete was the closest thing to a father figure Zero had. His sister and he had arrived at the institute when they were teenagers, after they had lived in separated foster homes for years. Thanks to Pete, Zero had been reunited with Laura, and he had learnt to control his powers. He still had a few problems once in a while, but all in all he was fine. And he was glad he had been at the institute a few months ago, when his mutation had gotten more powerful and caused a momentary loss of control. 

“Good luck, man” Zero told Jude as he had finally mustered the courage to come into Pete’s office. 

“Why are you wishing me luck? You said it was going to be fine… why do I need luck for?” Jude asked, totally overanalysing things. He could not help it. He always did that when he was nervous. 

“Jude… seriously, don’t fret over everything like that. It’s fine. Seriously” Zero assured one last time, before granting Jude with a reassuring smile. 

“Ok… See you afterward?” 

“Sure, Jude.”

Once Jude was with Pete, Zero started stressing out without knowing why. One: he was rarely ever stressed out, and two: he believed what he had told Jude, it would go fine, he was sure of it. So why was he so nervous? 

“Hey Gid!” His sister greeted him, nearly making him jump out of his skin. 

“Damn Laura, give a guy a warning” He admonished, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. 

“You want me to give you a warning that I’m going to talk to you?” Laura asked with a raised eyebrow, pointing out the stupidity of her brother’s demand. 

“Er… Yes… No… I don’t know… Just, don’t talk to me so unexpectedly” Zero stammered. 

“Right…” Laura replied, dragging out the word. “Are you okay, Gid?” She asked, a bit concerned by his antics. 

“Yeah, sure… Why do you ask?” Zero replied, playing dumb. 

“It’s Jude, isn’t it?” She asked. 

Zero opened his mouth to deny it, but decided against it when he realised it would be no use. 

“Yes… yes, it is. He has his first meeting with Pete right now and it stresses me out” Zero explained. 

“Why? It’s going to be fine” Laura said. 

“I know that.” He said with a sigh, which got him a strange look from his sister. He knew he was behaving oddly, but he could not help it. 

“Let’s change the subject, okay? It’s gonna give me a headache.” Zero requested. 

“If you want.” Laura said. “Want to go play ball?” She then asked. 

“Not right now…” Zero answered. He wanted to be there when Jude went out of Pete’s office. That was why he was sitting in front of it in the first place, not caring one bit what people thought about it. 

“Oh my God!” She exclaimed suddenly, startling Zero once again. 

“What the hell?!” He asked, startled once again.

“You never refused to play ball before.” Laura informed. 

“Surely, I must have…” Zero started. 

“Never.” She interrupted. 

“But…”

“Never ever.” She said. 

Zero thought about it for a few seconds and came up with nothing. He could not remember a single time when he had refused a game of ball. 

“Don’t think too hard… Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.” Laura told him mockingly. 

“Shut up” Zero mumbled half-heartedly. 

Laura laughed and excused herself, saying she had better to do than staying on the floor with her brother while waiting for his future best friend forever to come up. Bullshit, if you asked Zero. When she was left, he tried not to think about how pathetic he was being, and failed dramatically at doing so. 

“Zero? You waited for me the whole time?” Jude asked as he went out of Pete’s office. 

“Mmh… No?” Zero replied unconvincingly (the fact that he had sounded questioning had not helped making his answer believable). 

“You didn’t have to, really.” Jude said, ignoring Zero’s answer. He had spoken quickly and a blush had reddened his cheeks, indicating he was embarrassed. 

“I… well, I wanted to.” Zero replied, choosing to be honest, for once. 

Jude blushed even harder. “Well, thank you.” 

Zero smiled. “So, how did it go?” 

“It went pretty well… I think… He explained what the institution was and… I also have an appointment with him tomorrow to do something about my powers.” Jude explained.

“Okay. That’s good. Definitely good.” Zero answered, letting go of all the tension he had been feeling, he still didn’t know why. 

“I thought so, too.” Jude replied with a smile. 

He looks so good when he smiles, Zero thought, staring at him without noticing. He would have to try to make him smile more often. 

“Say Jude… would you like to come and play ball with me?” 

“Er… well, I don’t know… I…” Jude started, stammering. 

“It’s fine if you don’t want to… You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Zero said, feeling a bit dejected. Jude was bound to get fed up with him one day, anyway, he should have been expecting it. How stupid of him to think Jude was fine with spending all his time with him. 

“No, I want to… It’s just… I’ve never played basketball before… Or any other sport for that matter.” Jude admitted sheepishly. He was in his mid-twenties, for God’s sake. How pathetic was it? Still, he preferred sounding pathetic than having Zero think he was rejecting him. 

Zero’s jaw dropped, and Jude was mortified. God, he should have found another excuse. Damn it. 

“I know I’m not really a fun person to be around… it’s just… my father didn’t really let me talk to other kids when I was little…” Understatement of the year. Jude was home-schooled and did not take part in any extra activity. 

“Hey… Don’t say that. It’s okay… I can teach you a few things, make up for lost time, if you feel like it.” Zero assured him. Jude’s father was apparently more of a warder than an actual father. Well, Zero would be damned if he let Jude feel ashamed because of it. 

Jude looked up hopefully. “You’re sure it wouldn’t bother you?” 

“Are you kidding?” Zero replied, “I love basketball, it would be no bother at all.” 

“Okay then, let’s do it.” Jude answered with a smile so genuine it took Zero’s breath away. He was gorgeous, and he looked like he had no idea about it, which made him cute in addition to beautiful. Really, this was unfair on so many levels. 

*

Once they were in front of the basket, Zero stood right behind Jude with his front to his back and put his hands on Jude’s in order to place them correctly on the ball. 

“So, you hold the ball that way, and you shoot like that.” Zero told him, guiding him through the movement. 

The ball touched the basket but did not go in. 

“See. That’s not bad.” Zero encouraged with a smile. 

Jude rolled his eyes as he went to retrieve the ball. “You did all the work.” 

“I did not.” Zero protested, faking outrage. “Now pass me that ball.” 

Jude did as he was told and Zero took a shot, the ball going in neatly. 

“Show-off.” Jude muttered. 

Zero heard him and winked playfully. The right bastard. “Come on, take another shot. Nothing comes without training.” Zero said, behaving like a true coach. 

They played for about half an hour, and at his first successful shot, Jude’s face lit up with joy. 

“Have you seen that? It went in! I did it!” 

“You did! Well done, man.” Zero smiled. Jude’s happiness was infectious. 

Soon, it started raining and the water turned to ice around Jude. His joy died almost instantly. 

“Funny… I had almost forgotten about that.” He said dejectedly. 

Maybe Oscar was right, after all… Maybe Jude ought not to go out. Surely, people would freak out if they saw this. 

“Hey Jude, don’t take it like that.” Zero advised, putting his hand on Jude’s shoulder. “Let’s go back inside, shall we?” 

Jude nodded, still looking down. 

“Look… You had no problem this morning, this is already progress, don’t be too hard on yourself.” 

“Yeah, but that’s the thing… It’s not progress… I’m sure everything went fine because you were there.” Jude said. 

“Maybe yes… But I’ll be there as long as you need me.” Zero said, allowing himself to be vulnerable, for a change. 

Jude looked at him in awe at that, which made Zero feel hot all over. Then, he did something Zero had not expected at all: he hugged him. Jude himself had not expected it, to be honest. 

“Is this weird? I’m sorry if it is.” Jude asked, ignorant of what was socially acceptable or not. It was not like he had a lot of references. 

“No… this isn’t weird at all.” Zero said lowly, hugging him back with intensity. 

The ice melted and turned back to water. 

“It’s the first time I feel rain that is not icy cold, you know?” Jude said, still entwined with Zero. 

“So, how does it feel?” Zero asked. 

“Strange… But really nice.” Jude answered. 

“You have to be the first person I hear say that the rain is nice.” Zero laughed. “Come on, let’s go home. Else we’re gonna be drenched.” He then added. 

They walked back to the mansion slowly despite the rain, holding hands and pretending it was only to keep the rain from turning to ice again. 

“Jude?”

“Yes?” 

“I was wondering… how do you shower? You don’t have to answer, of course… I was just curious.” Zero asked. 

“Well… Before my crisis started, I had not much problem… The water was always very cold, of course, but not to the point of being frozen. Now, however… well I haven’t found a way to shower yet, so I haven’t showered for two days. I don’t sweat much at all, anyway, since I never get hot… But it’s still a pain in the ass.” Jude admitted. 

Zero cleared his throat, debating on whether he should ask his next question or not. He chose to do so anyway. 

“If you want, I could help keep the water warm.” 

“I… I’m not sure this is a good idea” Jude answered, blushing. 

“I wouldn’t watch. Cross my heart.” Zero assured. 

“Why are you doing all this for me?” Jude asked, genuinely wondering. Not that he wasn’t grateful, but he had trouble understanding. 

“Well… We’re supposed to help the newcomers, that’s a written rule over there.” Zero said, even though it was absolutely not the reason why he was helping Jude. “Plus, you seem like a really nice guy and you don’t deserve the shit you’re getting because of a mutation you didn’t choose.” 

“Okay… well, thank_

“No, don’t thank me. Remember what I told you yesterday: you don’t have to thank me. It’s no trouble.” Zero repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. 

“Sorry.” Jude mumble sheepishly. 

“Don’t apologise either, man. It kinda defeats the purpose” Zero said, amused. “So, what do you say? Want me to help with your bath?” 

Jude cleared his throat nervously before replying: “yes, alright. I guess we could give it a go.” 

They arrived by the front door, and Zero immediately let go of Jude’s hand when he saw Lionel a few meters away, walking towards them, certainly getting back from her last mission. He was not out yet, and he knew how holding hands with another man would look like to the others. People would automatically think they were in a relationship together. Zero did not want that to happen, since Jude and he had not discussed anything yet despite their obvious attraction, and also because Laura did not know yet that he was bisexual and the last thing he wanted was to let the other mutants know about him before his own sister did. 

“Hello Zero, long time no see.” 

“Lionel.” Zero greeted her in a neutral tone. 

“Who’s your friend?” She asked, looking intently at Jude with her piercing eyes which always seemed to peer into people’s soul. 

“This is Jude, a newcomer. Jude, this is Lionel, one of the institute’s teacher.” Zero presented. 

“Nice to meet you Jude.” She said, her lips spreading slowly into a smile. 

“Likewise.” Jude said, smiling back tentatively. Lionel was making him a bit nervous. Then again, she could make anyone nervous. 

“She is nice, but don’t get on her bad side.” Zero advised as they entered Jude’s bathroom. “I nearly did once, and let’s say it’s not something I’d be willing to experience again.” 

“Duly noted.” Jude said wholeheartedly. 

Once Jude’s bath was ready, Zero sat down next to the bathtub and put a hand in the water to keep it from freezing. He then closed his eyes and gestured for Jude to get it. 

“I won’t peek, I promise”, he said, no matter how much I want to, he added in his mind. 

Hearing the rustle of clothes as Jude took them off and feeling the water rippling when he entered the bathtub was pure torture for Zero, and he nearly died on the spot when Jude moaned as he came into contact with the warm water. 

“This is the best thing ever…” He sighed contentedly. “I know you told me not to thank you… But seriously, I can’t thank you enough for this.” 

“I’m glad to be useful.” He smiled even though Jude couldn’t see, since Zero had his back to him. 

Yes, he could definitely get used to this, even if he couldn’t take a peek at Jude’s wonderful body.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! C= once again, thanks a lot for the support. It means a lot.

As time went on, Jude and Zero found a rhythm. They would spend a lot of times together, Zero helping Jude catch up on his lost childhood, keeping him warm at night and keeping the water hot when he bathed. They were getting on perfectly and became close friends. But, they were acting a bit more than friendly towards each other, Zero was sure he was not imagining it: Jude had to be as attracted to Zero as Zero was to him. He kept blushing when Zero complimented him, and his eyes were often wandering down Zero’s body, especially when he was half-naked for a reason or another. 

No matter how sure Zero was of Jude’s attraction, he had yet to make a move on him. For once in his life, he was not willing to take what he wanted without caring about the consequences. He wanted Jude to be the one to make the first move, because he didn’t want to pressure him into anything. After all, Jude was the less experienced of the two of them when it came to relationships. If he had never even been allowed to play basketball, there was little chance he had much experience when he came to love. 

One evening, when Zero came back from his mission, he went straight to Jude’s room – which could as well be called his room since he had been sharing it with Jude since he had arrived – but he did not find him there as he usually would. However, he heard sobbing coming from the bathroom, and he rushed there, thoughts racing in his mind. 

When he saw Jude in the bathtub, the water frozen around him while he dry-sobbed, in full panic mode, Zero didn’t think twice before climbing in, not even taking his shoes or clothes off. 

“God, Jude.” He said in a distressed tone, taking him in his arms to try and warm his frozen body. “It’s gonna be okay, you’ll be okay… I’m here.” He whispered in Jude’s ear, trying to soothe him. 

The ice had instantly turned to water, and the said water warmed around them, but Zero barely noticed it, focused solely on Jude, whose tears had now melted and were rolling down his face. It must have been awful, being stuck in the frozen water, unable to get out, unable to move at all, with no one to call for help. 

Jude put his hands on Zero’s arms, which were encircling his chest, and clang to him as if he were a lifeline and, at that moment, he was… in a way. 

Zero kissed his neck and started drawing circles on his chest. Jude had now mostly calmed down, but Zero decided to keep silent for a few more minutes before he’d start pestering him with questions. But then, Jude did something unexpected: he started laughing. 

Zero arched an eyebrow even though Jude couldn’t see him and asked: 

“What is it? Why are you laughing?” He was half-afraid that Jude was actually losing his mind. 

“You’re in a bathtub, with your shoes on…” Jude said between two laughing fits. 

Zero realised Jude was right. He had not even thought about it before, and the ridicule of the situation hit him full force, making him join Jude in his laughter. 

“We should probably get out, shouldn’t we?” Jude asked once they had calmed down. “Not that this isn’t nice and all… but”

“Yes, you’re right… Let’s get out.” Zero agreed. He then waited for Jude to get out first, since he was between Zero’s legs and thus preventing him from moving. 

“Could you… I know this is stupide ‘cause, obviously, you’ve seen everything already by now but… could you close your eyes?” Jude asked, feeling self-conscious, even though Zero had just hugged him while he was naked. 

“Of course I can, Jude, don’t worry.” Zero assured him. “You can go, I’m not watching.” He informed, having closed his eyes. It was becoming harder and harder with time to keep himself from taking a peak at Jude’s body when he was going out of the bathtub, but that day was different. Jude had been distressed and panicking a few minutes ago, and being a voyeur was the last thing on Zero’s mind at that moment. 

They went to bed straight after that and, once they were laid down together, he finally asked why Jude had not waited for him to take his bath as he usually did. 

“Well, I’ve been training with Pete to control my mutation better… and I was making progress, so I thought I could try doing something on my own for once… seems I was wrong.” Jude answered dejectedly. 

“Don’t rush it Jude, it took all of us a long time to control our powers… don’t worry about it, okay?” Zero replied, playing with Jude’s hair to comfort him. 

“Yeah, alright… It’s just… I feel like such a burden sometimes. You’re stuck with me all the time because I’m a big baby who can’t get anything done…” Jude mumbled. 

Zero’s hand stopped moving at that and Zero cupped Jude’s face, telling him in a serious tone: 

“Don’t ever think that about yourself. You’re not a big baby, you’re a man going through some difficult times, and you’re certainly not a burden…. I love spending time with you Jude.” 

Jude looked up at the last part, straight into Zero’s eyes. 

“Really?” He asked, uncertainty written all over his face. 

Jude’s insecurity would have been quite cute if it didn’t make him feel so miserable about himself. 

“Really, Jude. I’d want to stay with you even if you didn’t need me to.” 

“I’d also want you to stay with me even if I didn’t need you to…” Jude stammered in reply, smiling sheepishly. 

“Good, that’s settled then.” Zero smiled back. 

They fell asleep with their limbs entwined, as always, which put Zero in a difficult position in the morning. Indeed, he had a vivid wet dream consisting in Jude writhing and moaning underneath him as he thrust into his pliant body. Needless to say that he woke up with a raging hard-on. And, since he was spooning with Jude and he was playing the role of the bigger spoon, it was problematic… to say the least. In addition, Jude was already awake. He was, in fact, the one who had woken Zero up when he noticed his current problem. 

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.” Zero said, detangling himself from Jude. 

“It’s fine…” Jude told him with the brightest blush Zero had ever seen on his face. And that meant something, since Jude would blush approximatively twenty times a day. “It’s not like you can control what you dream about…” 

“Right… about that… Did I say something when I was asleep?” The question should have been “Did I moan someone’s name?” But there was no way Zero was going to ask that. 

Jude cleared his throat awkwardly and replied negatively, not looking anywhere near Zero, who was therefore able to tell he was lying blatantly. 

“Are you sure?” Zero probed, not really knowing if he preferred Jude to tell the truth or to lie again in order to save him from the embarrassment of knowing what he had said. 

“Yes.” Jude said, lying as obviously as before. 

“Right…” Zero said “Well, I’m going to go for a shower…” A cold one, he added in his mind. 

“Okay, see you later, then.” Jude said with a tentative smile. 

After Zero had taken his very, very cold shower, Jude and he ate breakfast in the kitchen, and Laura joined them. 

“Hey sis.” 

“Zero, Jude, how are you doing guys?” 

“Good…” Zero answered, clearing his throat. His sister looked at him strangely but, fortunately, didn’t ask anything. 

“Great. What about you?” Jude asked her with a genuine smile. Jude and Laura got along great together, and Zero was really glad about it. It would have been very hard for him if they hadn’t. 

“I could be better… I have to go with Pete to his monthly meeting with the government… Kinkade’s gonna be there.” She said, making a face at the name. 

At that, Jude nearly spit his orange juice out, which ended in a coughing fit. 

Zero slapped Jude’s back and asked him if he was alright. 

“I’m not sure…” Jude said. “Kinkade… you mean Oscar Kinkade, right?” A guy from the government named Kinkade… there probably weren’t legions of them. 

“Yeah, the guy’s a douchebag. You know him personally?” Laura asked. Considering Jude’s reaction, it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together and guess that Jude had to know Oscar. 

“Sure I do… He’s my father.” Jude said, getting the siblings’ jaw to drop. 

“I… I’m sorry, Jude.” Laura told him. 

“What for? Because Oscar’s my father or because you called him a douchebag?” Jude asked calmly. 

Laura’s eyes widened, making her look like a dear caught in the headlights. “I… I don’t know… both I suppose.”

“Well, it’s not your fault that he’s my father, and don’t worry about calling him a douchebag. He is.”

“It must have been so harsh on you.” Zero mused. “The guy is anti-mutant even though his own son is one… that’s crazy, for fuck’s sake.” 

“I can’t believe he made me think I was not normal… All these years he hid me away, telling me I was the only one like that…” Jude said dejectedly. “Or, you know what, I can believe it in fact… It’s not even that surprising coming from him, that’s how awful a father he is.” 

Zero wanted to hug Jude, but he didn’t feel like doing it in the middle of the kitchen. Also, it could get awkward because of what had happened that morning. So, instead, he just took one of Jude’s hand in his, under the table. 

Jude had not even known that his father knew mutants existed. What would he think when he’d knew of Oscar’s part in keeping the mutants secret from the rest of the world? That was something Zero was not looking forward to discovering. Now was not the time to tell him about it, anyway. Jude had far enough on his plate already. 

“I’m sorry Jude… Zero and I know how much having bad parents sucks.” Laura told him almost apologetically, even though she had no part in Jude’s family problems. 

“Why… what happened with yours?” Jude asked with concern. Zero and he had spent nearly all their time together since they had met, and Zero barely ever talked about himself. Jude didn’t even know what his real name was, for fuck’s sake. 

“They gave us up when we were kids because they couldn’t cope with our mutations. We haven’t heard of them ever since.” Laura explained. 

Zero tightened his hand on Jude’s without noticing. He felt mad every time he thought about it, because it made him think about everything that had happened after they had been given up, all the shit they had gone through before finally arriving at the institute. 

Jude, sensing Zero’s agitation, started repeatedly passing his thumb on the back of the man’s hand. They had had a shitty childhood, and in Jude’s case a shitty life so far, but at least they had each other now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it wasn't too awful. I have less time to write now that the Easter holidays are over. Also, my final exams start on monday and they end in three weeks, so I don't know when I'll be able to post next. Sorry guys :/ I'll try my best ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, my final exams are finally over, so here is the new chapter :D thank you for your support and for being patient <3

“Zero, can I talk to you?” Laura asked her brother later in the day, once she had come back from her meeting with the government. 

“Yeah, sure.” He replied with a frown, not getting why she felt the need to ask. 

“I meant, in private.” Laura added, biting her lip. “Sorry Jude, I’ve got nothing against you, I promise… It’s just family stuff.” 

“No problem.” Jude assured her with a smile contrasting starkly with Zero’s frown, which had just deepened. There was no way Laura had to talk to him about “family stuff”… There was no “family stuff” to talk about, they only had each other. 

“Okay, I’m coming. I’ll be back in five, Jude.” Zero assured, getting up from the couch where he had been sitting down with him, watching a mindless action movie. 

“Sure, see you.” Jude said, briefly taking his eyes away from the screen to look at Zero. 

“What is it that you want?” Zero asked, crossing his arms over his chest somewhat defensively, which was surprising considering he was talking to his sister. 

Laura arched an eyebrow, wondering what got her brother’s panties in a twist. 

“I just wanted to warn you that Oscar’s gonna come here tomorrow, to see, or more like spy, how things are going at the institute. So, you might want to distract Jude, or take him somewhere nice, so he doesn’t cross path with him.” 

They both knew how Oscar would react to seeing his son at the Davenport’s institute for gifted youngsters. 

“Alright…” Zero replied, immediately switching from mildly annoyed to mildly freaked out. “I’ll do that.”

The hardest part would be to get Jude to agree with going out. He was not comfortable yet with the outside world, afraid he would lose control of his mutation when people were around. 

Zero went back to the living-room with his sister following him closely. He sat back down on the couch, much further from Jude than he had previously been, while Laura took the chair. 

Jude was wondering why Zero had suddenly lost his desire to cuddle with him and he started staring at him, but Zero refused to look his way, apparently finding his own hands much more interesting. Add that to that other time when Zero had let go of his hand when they had met Lionel and you got a suspicious, and rightfully so, Jude. He could ignore Zero not wanting Lionel to see them together since the two of them didn’t seem close… but Jude had trouble overlooking the fact that Zero didn’t want to stay close to him in front of his sister. Zero had nearly jumped away from him when he had heard the living-room door opening, for God’s sake!

“I… I’m gonna go for a walk.” Jude said, hoping Zero would follow him, even though he was a bit mad at him. He didn’t. 

Zero really wanted to follow Jude. He did. But he ought to give Jude some space. Zero was the only person he ever spent time with beside Pete and Laura, and Zero couldn’t help but think Jude was so attached to him because he was the first person he had met who had been nice to him. Maybe it’d be better for Jude if he actually got to spend time with other people, see the world for a bit… 

Plus, Zero had to talk to his sister about being bisexual, and he wasn’t any closer to than he had been all these years. He sighed, passing a hand over his face. He felt like such a coward. No, actually, he WAS a coward, he decided. 

“What’s up bro?” Laura asked, concerned. “You had a fight with Jude?” 

She had seen the scene enfold, and the least she could say was that the boys were acting peculiar. 

“No… no, nothing like that.” Zero answered, trying to smile in order to reassure him, but it came out as more of a grimace than an actual smile. “I just have some things on my mind.” 

Laura knew what this sentence meant: “I have some things on my mind but I’m not willing to tell you what they are”. 

“You look like a mess” Laura remarked, cocking her head to one side. 

“Thanks.” Zero huffed. His sister always knew what to say to comfort him… 

“Sorry…” She said, “But you do.” 

“Well yeah, probably ‘cause I am” Zero replied. And he was, really. Such a mess. 

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s going to be fine.” Laura assured him, and Zero couldn’t believe he still hadn’t find the courage to tell that girl he was bisexual. As if she would reject him for it. 

Then again, he had thought his foster parents would not reject him, but things had not really gone how he was planning them to. They had not thrown him away or anything, but they had been colder toward him after he had told them. They were throwing cautious glances his way from time to time, and they became more guarded around him. Then, Zero had gone to the Davenport institute and had been reunited with his sister, and he hadn’t seen his foster parents ever since. 

But Laura and he had gone through so much, and now they were respectively the only family the other had left… So, surely, she wouldn’t react in the same way. Right? 

“You should go after Jude.” Laura told him in order to tear Zero from his thoughts. “He looked upset.”

He did look upset, and it made Zero feel like a real jackass. His sister was right, he had to go after Jude and explain himself. 

“I… I’ll do that.” He said, before telling Laura he’d see her later. To be honest, he would probably avoid her for a while, in case she wanted to ask questions about his feelings again. 

He found Jude on the basketball pitch, that is to say the first place where he looked. They often went there together and Zero had told Jude he’d always come here when he was feeling down or wanted to get away from the other mutants. It wasn’t hard to guess that was where Jude had gone. 

“Hey…” Zero said tentatively, sitting down next to Jude on the side-bench. 

“Hey…” Jude replied, somewhat coldly. 

“Look, Jude… I’m sorry if I upset you in any way. I’m just… I’m a fucking mess right now. I’m sorry.” Zero apologised, looking at his feet while he spoke. 

Jude sighed and replied: “I get that you’re confused, Zero. Really, I get it. But you’ve got to understand that I’m confused too.” Jude got up from the bench and started pacing, making Zero look up. 

“One second you’re all touchy-feely and the next you behave as if you couldn’t get far enough from me.” Jude explained. 

Zero got up too, trying to come up with something to reply. “I don’t want to get away from you… I really don’t” he assured, “but I can’t help but think that you’d be better off if I did.” 

“What the hell are you saying now?” Jude asked, stopping his pacing. 

“I…” Zero started, grasping for words. “It’s just, aren’t you tired of me? We spend all our time together and I thought that… maybe you’d like to see other people, for once.” 

“Listen Zero, if YOU are tired of me, just say so. Don’t try to pretend it’s the other way around.” Jude said, crossing his arms over his chest protectively. 

“No… no, no, no.” Zero said hurriedly, “that’s not what I’m trying to do, I’m far from being tired of you.” He wasn’t, and he was quite certain he would never be. 

Jude did not move, and he didn’t reply either. He was not convinced by what Zero was saying. 

Zero was completely lost. He was so far out of his comfort zone that he couldn’t find his way back there, despite his desperate attempts to do so. He had strong feelings for Jude, feelings he couldn’t handle and now he felt helpless. He didn’t know what he could do or say to untangle himself from the mess he had created all on his own. He was convinced that Jude would be better off without him: Zero was an emotional mess, he had not yet come out to his own sister, or to anyone else for that matter, and Jude definitely ought to spend time with other people, people who’d be better for him. However, the selfish part of Zero wanted Jude to stay with him even though he deserved better. He wanted Jude so bad that he couldn’t bring himself to push him away completely. He’d give up soon, he knew it… if Jude persisted in staying with him, Zero would give up on trying to do the right thing and just kiss him senseless. 

Zero’s words had not convinced Jude, but his helplessness, lost look and prolonged silence most certainly had. Jude put his hands on Zero’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. 

“Look… I get it, you don’t want to talk about it… It’s fine. But if you ever want to talk… in the future, you know I’m here for you, right?” Jude told him, squeezing his shoulders briefly. He wanted to be here for Zero just as Zero had been for him since he had arrived at the institute. 

At that, Zero looked up at him, and Jude could see the surprise in his eyes. It nearly broke his heart that he’d be so surprised to get some support. 

Zero slowly reached out to Jude and hugged him, progressively tightening his grip. He hid his face in the crook of Jude’s neck and inhaled his sent, looking for comfort. 

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Jude.” Zero said lowly, showing a vulnerability that Jude wasn’t used to coming from him. Zero had been so taken with being Jude’s rock and helping him through his problems that he had not allowed himself to show what he was feeling. But now the feelings were coming to the surface and Jude was glad he was finally starting to open up around him. 

Zero was usually so composed and self-assured that Jude had first thought he was doing just fine, but the man’s recent attitude and the words he had just uttered proved him wrong. And now Jude was the one feeling helpless. He felt like he wasn’t doing enough to help Zero. 

He didn’t know what came over him, but he quickly separated himself from Zero and pressed their lips together. It lasted no more than five seconds, but it felt as if time had stopped. Zero didn’t move, not really kissing back, nor moving away, his two personas battling: the selfish part of him wanted to deepen the kiss and ravage Jude, while the other (annoying) part was filled with guilt. He shouldn’t be kissing Jude, because he was a mess and Jude needed stability if he wanted to improve the control he had over his powers. 

Soon, too soon for the selfish part of Zero, the kiss ended. 

“Jude…” He started, without really knowing what he would say next. 

“I… I don’t know why I did that… You were upset and…” Jude knew it was no excuse, it was even worse. He shouldn’t have kissed Zero when he was upset and confused. Plus, Jude was a bit confused himself. He had never kissed a man before, and he had very little experience all together when it came to love, but he was pretty sure there were better situations to initiate a kiss, especially a first kiss. 

“It’s fine Jude… Really, don’t fret.” Zero replied, hoping his tone was as reassuring as he had meant it to be. 

“Look… I better go… I have to talk to Pete and Lionel about my next mission.” He then said, before leaving. 

He noticed two things about his own hurried departure: he had lied and he had not told Jude he would see him later, which had to be the first time it had happened since they had met. Zero suddenly felt ashamed and guilty, which had not happened to him often before. Needless to say they were not nice feelings… But he deserved to feel bad, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was alright... I proof-read it, but it's one a.m and I'm not used to being up this late xD (but the schoolwork I finish at such hours gets great marks so I hope it'll be kinda the same with writing ^^).


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so it's been more than a week, I really thought I'd be able to post earlier... But I started working, so I don't have that much time, and time goes by so quickly!   
> Anyway, the new chapter is FINALLY here ^^ I hope you'll enjoy it

Jude was in his room, trying hard to stay calm despite Zero’s hurried departure in order not to freeze the entire institute without meaning to. He didn’t get it! Zero had come here to apologise for his attitude, and he had continued on acting exactly the same by leaving right after their kiss. 

Of course it was partially Jude’s fault for kissing him in the first place, and he had no trouble admitting that, but that wasn’t a reason to act in the way Zero had. 

Frustrated, Jude decided to go to bed early that day. For the first time since he had arrived at the institute, he did so without Zero…

*

“Zero, you have to go.” Laura complained, teeth chattering. 

Zero sighed, knowing his sister was right. If he didn’t join Jude in his room very soon, everyone would catch death. The temperature was already close from being negative, the situation was quite desperate. In other words, he had to act. 

He went to Jude’s room without even answering his sister. He was fed up with her always being right. Couldn’t he catch a break, for once? 

He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the awkwardness he would soon be greeted with, and knocked on Jude’s door. 

Jude went to open the door, knowing it would be Zero. No one else ever came to his room so it wasn’t hard to guess. He would have been annoyed if he had managed to fall asleep, but he had been lying awake for hours, tossing and turning. 

“What do you want?” Jude asked as soon as he had opened the door.

Zero bit his lower lip, feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious. He had known Jude would be mad at him for leaving after their kiss. He should have never done that, but he had been a nervous wreck. 

“Can I come in, please?” He asked, hoping Jude would not send him away. If he did, Zero would have to suffer every mutant’s burning stare, as if he was the one responsible for the cold (okay… in a way, he WAS responsible). 

“Yes… have your way” Jude said icily, rolling his eyes. 

“I’m sorry… I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now… But the thing is… It’s gotten quite cold in the mansion, and I was sent here to make it all better.” Zero explained, rubbing his neck nervously. 

“Right… you didn’t have to explain, I know you’re not here because you want to be.” Jude replied bitterly. 

Zero could have yelled from sheer frustration. He didn’t know what to do: every single thing he said made it worse. 

“Look, Jude… I’m really sorry about what happened earlier, you know. I shouldn’t have flown again, I should have stayed with you, to talk… But I’m a coward, and I’m sorry.” Zero said, wearing his heart of his sleeves, which he was not used to at all. 

Jude softened a bit, at that. 

“You don’t want to see me… I understand that, and I would have respected it if the entire place wasn’t on the verge of becoming a giant icicle.” Zero added. 

“Okay, fine, come to bed.” Jude relented with a sigh. 

Once both of them were lying down, Zero hesitated taking Jude in his arms as he usually did. Surely, Jude would prefer for him to keep his distance… But, if the cold Zero was feeling was any indication, Jude was nowhere near feeling better. 

Zero was at a loss for what to do and he started to feel distressed. Suddenly, his body heat rose dramatically and he couldn’t breathe properly. He was having a loss of control! It had not happened to him for ages… 

At least, the mansion’s temperature was going back to normal, thanks to the mix between the cold produced by Jude and the heat produced by Zero. It didn’t really make Zero feel any better, though, considering he felt as if he were dying. 

Of course Jude, since he was lying right next to Zero, felt his friend’s distress and tried to help him. 

“Zero, it’s okay… calm down” He whispered, pulling Zero to him and taking him in his arms. 

Zero clang to Jude desperately, trying to slow his breathing. 

“There you go”, Jude said, encouraging him as he calmed down a bit. “It’s going to be fine.” He then started passing his hand into Zero’s hair, which had previously been perfectly gelled and was now in total disarray. 

Zero took a last shuddering breath before gripping Jude’s T-shirt even tighter. He had come to comfort Jude and now he was the one being comforted. He was such a mess that it was starting to be pathetic. 

“I’m sorry…” Zero repeated lowly, like a broken record. 

“Sh, it’s okay. Don’t worry.” Jude told him, still caressing his hair. 

It felt nice… so relaxing. Zero ended up falling asleep under Jude’s ministrations, and Jude followed him into slumber a few minutes later. 

*

“I have to go into town today, it’s for a mission.” Zero informed, the following morning. “Want to come?” 

Jude looked up at him, surprise written on his features. 

“Really?” 

“Well, yeah…” Zero replied. He wanted Jude to come with him mostly because he didn’t want him to stay at the mansion today, since Oscar would visit. He really didn’t want the two men to meet. 

“I’m not sure this is a good idea…” Jude declared, looking down dejectedly. Once he had remembered he could lose control of his powers at any time, he was far less enthusiastic at the prospect of joining Zero for one of his missions. 

“Oh come on, Jude! You made great progress!” Zero assured, “and anyway, I’m here for you if you have a problem.” 

“I’m just going to be a burden, you should just leave me here, I’ll be fine.” Jude replied. 

But he was not going to be fine if he saw Oscar, this was the whole problem. 

“How many times do I have to tell you, man? You’re not a burden, I love having you with me.” Zero said earnestly. 

“Are you sure?” Jude asked reflexively. 

Zero glared at him before nodding slowly. 

“Okay then, fine.” Jude agreed, albeit reluctantly. 

Zero beamed and kissed his cheek. “Now come on, let’s go the bathroom”. 

They had to get ready to leave. Zero wanted to start his mission early for two reasons: he wanted Jude out of the house as soon as possible, and he had a higher chance of catching the mutant he was looking for by arriving at his place either pretty early or pretty late, in case the man tried to go to work despite having trouble controlling his powers. Some people didn’t know when to stop. 

*

Once Zero had knocked on his mission’s door, it quickly became clear that it wouldn’t open any time soon. 

Zero sighed, annoyed that they had come here for nothing. Plus, he was also anxious that they’d now have to go back to the institute, where Oscar could be. He looked up at the house and immediately noticed there was an open-window on the first floor. He thought about it for less than two seconds before coming up with a decision. It wouldn’t be the first time he broke in somewhere, anyway. 

He glanced around to see if he risked getting busted by any nosy neighbour, and once he was satisfied that he wouldn’t be, he started climbing. 

“Zero, what the hell are you doing?” Jude half-yelled/half-whispered, his eyes widening. 

“Well I’m coming in… just to check if the guy’s alright. That wouldn’t be right to leave without making sure he’s fine.” Zero answered, looking down at Jude from where he was perched at the window. 

“Come back down right now!” Jude tried, looking around frantically. He couldn’t believe Zero was doing that. Was he crazy? And what if he fell down or if a neighbour saw him? And what was he going to do if the man was at home, perfectly fine, and saw him sneaking in? 

“I’ll be back in a second.” Zero told him, disappearing through the window a few seconds later.

He WAS crazy, definitely. 

After what felt like an eternity, Zero went out of the house, by the front door this time, with a disappointed expression on his face. 

“He wasn’t there.” 

“Brilliant.” Jude replied, relieved. 

“No it’s not… We came here for nothing.” Zero grumbled. 

“Not for nothing… Now we know he’s not here. Come on, let’s go.” Jude told him, grabbing his arm to lead him away from the house. The sooner they’d be gone, the better. 

Zero received a text message from his sister and he opened it as soon as he was in the car. 

From Laura:

Oscar has arrived. 

Right… The implicit message was clear as day to Zero: he had to keep Jude away from the institute. 

“Hey… What would you say about a walk on the beach?” Zero proposed, seemingly out of the blue. He was nervous and he hoped Jude could not tell that he was (he didn’t want to sound suspect). 

“Er… Yeah, if you want…” Jude replied, looking at Zero strangely. “Why now, though?” 

Okay, so Jude was definitely suspicious now. Well done, Zero congratulated himself. 

“I don’t know, really… A bit of spontaneity is always nice, isn’t it?” He tried, knowing it was weak. 

“Right…” Jude said sceptically. 

Zero had not managed the situation as well as it could have been managed, but as long as Jude agreed on taking that walk, he did not care much. 

*

“Come on, let’s put our feet in the water!” Zero said excitedly, walking towards the sea. He had always loved going to the beach. 

“Mmh… I’m not sure this is a good idea, Zero” Jude declared, staying where he was. 

Zero didn’t let this dampen his enthusiasm: he was used to Jude not being very fond of his ideas by now, and he was also starting to get used to making him change his mind. 

“Come on, it’s gonna be nice!” Zero insisted, extended his hand to Jude, who hesitated for a few seconds before taking it. 

Jude was anxious because he had never gone to the sea, but he tried to reassure himself: Zero was there, so everything would be fine, wouldn’t it be? 

When he first came into contact with the sea water, there on the beach, with his fingers laced with Zero’s, Jude felt better than he ever had. He felt special, and for the first time in his life, he felt loved. A nagging voice told him that there was no way Zero loved him, but Jude made it shut up: right now, he could pretend Zero did love him, and he intended to enjoy it while he could. 

“So, how does it feel?” Zero asked smugly, already knowing from the expression on his face how Jude was feeling. 

“Brilliant” Jude answered with a breathtaking smile. 

Suddenly, Zero was glad that Oscar had decided to come to the institute, because it had made it possible for this moment to come to life. 

They walked together along the shore, hand in hand, for a while, just enjoying the sun and the fresh air. About half-an-hour later, Laura texted Zero again to let him know that Oscar had gone away. However, another fifteen minutes passed before Zero said anything about going back to the mansion. They were having such a good time that he hadn’t wanted it to end so soon. 

*

When Zero came back to the mansion with Jude, he was feeling elated, his mood contrasting starkly with his state of mind when he had left a few hours earlier. 

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t feel elated for very long. He thought that everything had gone smoothly and that the rest of the day would be uneventful, but that was before he heard the doorbell ring. 

He had no idea who it could be: the mutants had the keys, and he didn’t know they were expecting any guest. 

When he opened the door on Oscar, he tried to immediately slam it back close, panicking. Jude had gone to the kitchen looking for food, and he would be back very soon, too soon. Sadly, he failed in trying to keep Oscar outside, because of the latter’s foot blocking the door. 

“What is wrong with you?” Oscar asked coldly, pushing the door open again. “I forgot my phone earlier and I absolutely need it.” He informed, coming in uninvited. Of fucking course. 

Zero’s mind shut down, and he could only watch the tragedy unfold, as there was nothing he could do to prevent it. 

Jude went out of the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks. And Zero felt as if his heart had stopped with Jude’s steps.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I'm so so sorry, I honestly didn't think it had been that long since I last posted a chapter!! I only understood when I decided to post the seventh chapter today. It's probably because of the Euro 2016 (if there are Americans who read this fic and don't know what I'm talking about, this is a huge soccer competition ^^ and I really love soccer and I also work in the tournament so I don't have much time, but it ends in the beginning of July so it's nearly over).

“Jude, what are you doing here?” Oscar asked icily. When Zero came to think about it, he found it ironical that a man like Oscar had a son whose mutation allowed him to freeze water. 

“I… er… live here, actually.” Jude stammered, not looking anywhere near Oscar. 

“Certainly not. We’re leaving right now.” He said with authority, as if Jude was still the five-year old child he used to manipulate. 

“I…” Jude started, not knowing what he could answer to this. 

Zero thought now was as good a time as any to come to Jude’s rescue. 

“He’s not leaving. The institute is his home now.” The home Oscar failed to give Jude when he was a child. 

Oscar turned toward Zero and glared at him, which didn’t impress him at all. Maybe Oscar had an evil power over Jude, but he could do nothing against Zero. 

“My son is not staying here with you freaks.” Oscar growled. 

Jude stepped up at that, finally finding the courage to talk back to his failure of a father. 

“Don’t you dare talk about them like that…” 

What Oscar didn’t get was that if the mutants living in the Institute were freaks, then so was Jude. However, the only freak in the room was Oscar himself. 

“Oh, so that’s how it is now… You chose your side.” Oscar said, showing no emotion. 

Jude answered nothing. If his father had behaved like one, he wouldn’t have needed to pick a side at all, and it somewhat saddened him to think about it. 

Zero could feel the temperature getting lower by a few degrees, but thankfully Jude didn’t lose control completely… probably because he was used to Oscar being a right bastard to him. At that thought, Zero nearly lost control himself, even though it rarely happened to him anymore these days. 

“Now that it became clear to you that your son won’t go with you, I think it’s time for you to leave…” Zero nearly growled. 

“I’ll leave… But Jude, know that if I go through this door without you, you won’t have a father anymore.” Oscar said, making Zero so mad he felt like punching him right this instant. 

“It’s fine…” Jude answered, trying to show as little emotion as Oscar had. “I’ve never really had one, anyway”. 

Zero turned toward Jude at that and stared at him in awe. He couldn’t believe he had the guts to talk to Oscar like that. Even though he had only known Jude for a few weeks, he had never been prouder of anyone before. 

Oscar left without a word after he had gotten his phone back, looking absolutely livid, even though he was trying to hide the effect Jude’s words had on him. 

When the door had closed behind Oscar, Jude’s face fell and his shoulders slumped, as if his suddenly found courage had deflated like a balloon, now that his father wasn’t there to see him. 

Zero went to Jude and hugged him tight, starting rubbing his back comfortingly. 

“I’m so proud of you” he whispered in Jude’s ear as he felt the other man hug him back just as tightly. 

Zero felt Jude’s body temperature dropping worryingly fast, so he did all he could to keep him warm. The mix of their two powers caused a weird sensation to wash over them both and Zero was startled for a second. 

“You felt that too?” Zero asked. 

“I did.” Jude answered, not letting go of Zero. 

“Guys, what the fuck are you doing?” Sloane, one of the mutants, asked, coming down the stairs. 

“What do you mean?” Zero asked, detangling himself from Jude as quickly as he could. 

“The temperature’s been changing drastically back and forth for the last five minutes.” She complained. 

“Oops… sorry… We had a small problem” Jude replied sheepishly, “we’ll try to tone it down.” He promised her. 

“Thanks.” She said before going back upstairs. 

Jude glared at Zero, mad that he had stopped hugging him as soon as they had heard Sloane coming. They hadn’t been making out, for God’s sake, why would Sloane care about seeing them hugging? 

“A… Are you okay?” Zero mumbled, clearing his throat to regain his composure. He was behaving strangely once again. When would this finally end? 

Jude rolled his eyes in reply and got upstairs, leaving Zero alone in the living-room. 

Zero bit his lip, worried. He had screwed up once again and he knew it… But he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want people to know about him being bi, and even less about his feelings for Jude. He had never been that confused before, mostly because he had never had a serious relationship before. He had slept with many people, men and women alike, but he had never considered starting something serious with any of them. With Jude, though, it WAS serious. He didn’t want to sleep with him and then let him down as he had done with many others before. 

He sat down on the couch and started moping. He felt like a lost five-year old… He was pathetic. 

His sister came back from her mission about half-an-hour later, with a new mutant right behind her. 

“Zero, what are you doing here all alone? And why do you look like someone killed your puppy?” Laura asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“It’s nothing, don’t worry.” Zero replied, not wanting to explain anything in front of a guy he didn’t know. Anyway, he probably would have acted exactly the same if he wasn’t there: he wasn’t going to ask for love advice to his sister, who was the main reason he didn’t want people to know about him being bisexual. 

“Okay… If you say so.” Laura replied, looking far from convinced. “Zero, meet Dany.”

“Hey, nice to meet you.” Zero replied, trying to sound sincere. 

“You too.” 

He was wondering what this Dany guy could do. 

“I’m a telepath.” Dany answered. 

Zero froze. He hated telepaths who couldn’t yet control their powers, because they often heard what he was thinking without meaning too, and he really didn’t want anyone to know what he was thinking. He never trusted telepaths completely anyway… even Pete. 

Dany looked down, having probably heard Zero’s thoughts. Damn, this was awkward. 

“I’m sorry, man… It’s nothing against you, really…” Zero apologised. 

“Don’t apologise… I wasn’t supposed to hear any of this anyway… Sorry for intruding, I didn’t mean to.” Dany replied, apologising himself. 

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Zero said before leaving the room. The less he stayed near Dany, the better. 

That night, he slept in Jude’s room despite the incident from earlier, because he didn’t want to leave him on his own when he was upset, and also because he needed Jude at least as much as Jude needed him, even though he wasn’t ready to admit it to himself. 

The air was tense around them, and they nearly didn’t say anything to each other, each of them staying on his own side of the bed. 

During the next few days, Jude met Dany, and the two of them started to get to know each other. From what Zero could see while he was moping on his own, they seemed to get along really well, which made him experience a whole new feeling, a feeling he didn’t like at all: he was jealous. 

About a week after Dany had arrived at the Institute, there was a party organised for Jelena’s birthday. Of course, Zero, who had surprisingly been invited, did not feel like going. 

“Come on Zero, you won’t stay here all alone, will you?” 

“I can’t stand the bitch, Laura. I won’t go to her birthday party.” Zero rolled his eyes. 

Later on, when everyone was starting to get ready for the party, Zero was reading a sports magazine in Jude’s room, where he was now spending most of his time. 

“You’re not coming?” Jude asked as he came into his room to get dressed. 

“Certainly not.” 

“As you wish.” Jude replied, not insisting for Zero to come. He wanted things to go back to normal between Zero and him, because he missed him a lot. But, in his opinion, it was mostly Zero’s fault, so he didn’t know why he’d be the one to make the first step for them to reconcile. 

“Why are you going?” Zero asked, putting his magazine aside and getting up. He had been pretending to read since Jude had arrived, anyway: he had not managed to read a word. “I thought you didn’t like Jelena either.” 

“I don’t… But Jelena isn’t the only person who’s going to be there.” 

“Oh… I see…” Zero replied coldly. Even though Jude had not explicitly told him who he was talking about, it didn’t take a genius to guess. 

“You don’t have the right to react like that, Zero… You can’t expect me to wait forever for you to make up your mind.” Jude protested. 

Zero looked down dejectedly at that. He knew Jude was right, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. It even made it hurt worse. 

“You should come with us, Zero… Laura’s worried about you and she’d be really happy if you went to that party.” Jude explained, softening, trying to make Zero go without admitting he was the one who wanted his presence the most. 

“I’m not going, Jude…” Zero said moodily. 

“But…”

“I’m not going to this goddamn party.” Zero snapped, tired of the situation. 

“Fine… have your way.” Jude answered with a frown. “Dany’s probably waiting for me anyway, so I’ll let you be.” It was a low blow, and Jude knew it. He just wanted Zero to react and to quit being stupid. 

Zero wanted to ask him to wait, but his voice refused to obey him, so he grabbed Jude’s wrist instead, in order to prevent him from leaving. 

Jude turned to him and stared at him questioningly. 

For a second, Zero had no idea what to say or do but, suddenly, he pulled Jude to him and kissed him desperately. 

Jude stayed immobile for a few seconds, too shocked to move, but he soon kissed back with passion. He had been waiting for this for nearly as long as he had known Zero. 

Soon, too soon, Jude broke the kiss. 

Zero and he looked at each other for a short while, trying to fully realise what had just happened. 

After a minute, Jude sighed and went out the room without a word. Zero watched him go, unable to move, and blinked at his retreating figure, not understanding one bit what had just happened. 

Then, he quickly started panicking. Had he ruined everything again? Maybe Jude hadn’t wanted to kiss him, maybe he had already gotten over Zero and wanted Dany… Oh God, Jude would never talk to him again. 

Zero sat down on the floor, his back against the bed, and tried to regulate his erratic breathing. He was panicking, and he felt like a small child again. Plus, he could feel his body heat rising dramatically and he was afraid he would put something on fire very soon. 

He wanted to get up and to go look for help, for Laura or Pete, or maybe even Lionel… but he could not move at all. He was paralysed. The more he tried to calm down, the more he panicked. He had upset Jude once again, he was slowly losing control of his powers again, he would put everything on fire again: he was a failure.

His situation was starting to get critical. Thankfully, though, someone barged into the room a few minutes later and made everything better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the people who still read this despite my inability to post regularly: thank you guys for sticking with me <3 I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey... so I know it's been a really long time again. I'm really sorry. I'll try to do better next time. It's just that... it's been kinda hard to write fics lately, because I haven't had much time, but also because feelings and relationships are kinda confusing me at the moment. Anyway xD 
> 
> *SPOILER ALERT*
> 
> There is a tiny little bit of pretty tame smut in this chapter (I just thought I'd warn you even though it's not much).

“Jude?” Zero breathed, half-relieved to see Jude, half-ashamed to be seen in such a vulnerable state. 

“Zero, what happened?!” Jude asked, seemingly shocked to see Zero panicking. It was no wonder that Jude was surprised: Zero was always so calm and composed that people rarely found out what a mess he was inside. 

“I thought I had screwed up.” Zero stammered in between two deep inhales. 

“Of course not!” Jude assured, crouching down beside him. 

“Then why did you leave?” Zero asked, feeling miserable. 

Jude looked at him with empathy, putting his hands on Zero’s shoulders, hoping it would ground him. 

“I just wanted to tell Laura and Dany I wouldn’t go to the party with them.” Jude answered. He had really been wanting to keep on kissing Zero senseless, but he had had to be a decent human being and warn the people he was going to let down for the night. 

“Oh…” Zero replied, looking down in shame. “Then I screwed up anyway, getting all panicky over nothing.” 

“You didn’t screw up anything. These things happen, don’t worry over it.” Jude advised, squeezing Zero’s shoulders in comfort.

Then, he let go of him and extended his hand to help him get up from the floor. Zero hesitated a second before taking it, getting a reassuring nod from Jude. 

“You can probably still make it to the party… maybe they’re not gone yet…” Zero tried. Being the reason why Jude missed the party, and all for nothing, really bothered him. 

“I don’t care, I’m not going to leave you here.” Jude replied, making Zero feel even guiltier. 

“I don’t wanna be a burden, Jude.” Zero insisted. 

“Are you kidding me?! You’ve been taking care of me since I’ve arrived at the Institute, dismissing each and every one of my protests when I was feeling like a bother, and now you think YOU are bothering ME? I don’t think so.” Jude replied. He’d really be a shitty person if he let Zero down at a time like this after all he had done for him. Sure, Zero was annoying him lately with his hot and cold attitude towards him and Jude would have really liked for him to make up his mind… But he still liked Zero a lot, and he was more grateful for meeting him than for anything else in his life. 

“Now come on, let’s watch a movie on your laptop and cuddle.” Jude added, starting to undress. 

Zero followed Jude’s example and, soon, they were lying on Jude’s bed in their sleeping attire. It was far from what they had both had in minds at the beginning of the evening, but they would make do with what they had. 

Zero’s head was on Jude’s chest and Jude was drawing patterns on Zero’s back in a comforting gesture. Zero was reluctant to let himself enjoy the moment, at first, hating being vulnerable and feeling weak. However, it felt so good that any protest he might have had died before he could get to say it. 

Zero didn’t pay much attention to the movie they were watching, just enjoying the peacefulness and Jude’s touch. Soon, too soon, came the end of the movie, and with it the time to move. 

Zero sat down on his bed and Jude’s hand shot up to hold him back: 

“Where are you going?” Jude sounded a bit frantic, and he had now sat down to be levelled with Zero.

“Nowhere… I was just going to put my laptop away.” Zero answered, discarding it as he spoke to illustrate what he was saying. 

He then kissed Jude, to further assure him he had no plan to go away anytime soon. He was feeling too good in Jude’s bed to ever feel the desire to leave it. 

Jude kissed back immediately and, just like that, they took up where they had left off a couple of hours ago. 

The simple kiss they shared quickly turned into a full and heated making-out session. Soon, neither of them could hide their desire for each other and Zero half-whispered, half-moaned: “I want you so bad” in Jude’s ear, simultaneously bucking his hips into Jude’s, causing their clothed erections to rub together torturously. It was Jude’s turn to moan at that. 

“I… I want you too.” Jude stammered. 

“Is there something wrong?” Zero asked with concern, which was a miracle, considering his highly aroused state. 

“No, no! It’s just… I… I’ve actually never… well, you know.” Jude mumbled. Zero couldn’t see very well because of the feebly-lit room, but he was pretty sure Jude was blushing beet-red. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay Jude. We don’t have to, if you don’t feel comfortable”, Zero told him, already ebbing away, no matter how hard he wanted to stay close. 

“No!” Jude exclaimed, moving alarmingly fast to hold Zero back from retreating. 

“Alright, I’m staying, I won’t go anywhere” Zero assured him. “Just stop me whenever you want, ‘kay?”

Jude nodded dutifully. Zero, satisfied that Jude would actually tell him if he did anything that he wasn’t one hundred percent on board with, got back to kissing him. 

They were already half-naked, so there wasn’t much undressing to do. Zero was somewhat sad about that fact: the undressing part could be really fun. But he quickly focused on Jude and his small disappointment was all gone. 

He started kissing down Jude’s body, starting with his neck and slowly finding a path across his muscular chest and toned stomach. When he reached the elastic band of Jude’s sweatpants, he felt the muscles of Jude’s stomach clench under his ministrations, which he wasn’t sure how to interpret. 

“Are you okay, Jude?” He asked, trying his hardest to be patient despite his burning desire to ravish him then and there. 

“More than okay.” Jude replied breathily. 

Okay, so the clenching muscles were a good sign. Good to know. Zero made sure to store the information somewhere in his memory, so he could use it later, and he swore to himself he’d do the same with each and every one of Jude’s future reactions. 

Zero took Jude’s sweatpants off, and he then proceeded to get the boxer shorts he was wearing underneath out of the way too. 

Jude was glad that the room was dimly-lit, at that point, so that Zero couldn’t see him blush. However, there was no way he hadn’t heard his sharp intake of air. 

“Don’t be nervous, gorgeous.” Zero told him seductively. Jude really was beautiful: there was really nothing to be embarrassed of. But Zero understood that Jude’s nervousness came from his inexperience more than anything else. 

Jude supported himself on one of his elbows to be able to see Zero and he caressed the left side of his face delicately. 

Now Zero was the one feeling nervous. He wasn’t used to such affection and gentleness when it came to sex, which had usually been rough and straight-to-the point with his various partners. He did his best to hide his nerves by putting his hand over Jude’s and bringing it to his lips so he could leave a kiss on its palm. 

He didn’t let go of Jude’s had immediately. In fact, he didn’t even let go of it when he went down on his cock. Jude, not expecting the onslaught of feelings he was subjected to, threw his head back with a curse. His elbow soon went out from underneath him. He was then reduced to a moaning mess, lying on the bed and taking whatever was coming his way, which was a damn lot to take if you asked him. He threaded his free hand in Zero’s hand, trying to find something to hold onto. And then, he lost himself in pleasure with Zero for most of the night, until they collapsed on the bed, boneless and exhausted. 

The fact that the others had been to the party was rather fortunate: if they had been there during Jude and Zero’s steamy encounter, there would be no more secret for Zero to keep, considering how loud they had been. 

Also, considering how they had both felt inside, Zero was pretty sure the temperature in the institute had known extreme changes because of their love-making. The mixing of their two mutations had been unexpected and amazing, making Zero wonder how it would have felt if they had done it without a condom. Sadly, being a mutant didn’t make them invulnerable to human diseases, so they’d have to wait in order to make that discovery. Anyway, Zero was pretty sure it would be too much to take right now. The feeling of being one with Jude had already been overwhelming enough on its own without adding other sensations to it. 

That night, for the first time, Zero cuddled with the person he had just had sex with and fell asleep beside them. Usually, he just went away as soon as they were finished but of course it was different with Jude. They had been sleeping, literally sleeping, together for weeks, so there was no way sex would change their bed-arrangement. Zero was far from being an expert when it came to relationships, but he really wanted to change on that level. For Jude. Because he really, really liked him. 

Sure, in the morning his coming out problems and his confusion would still be there. But, for now, just for the night, he could forget about it all and just enjoy Jude’s presence next to him, his body against his, the feel of his heartbeat… He could pretend the night would never end, no matter how well he knew he was lying to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading, kudoing (is that even a word? ^^) and reviewing. You are the best! <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much to those of you who are still reading and reviewing this. And thank you to the people who left kudos. You guys rock for bearing with me and my problems with posting delays C=

Zero woke up with his back to Jude’s front and his arms around him. For a few seconds, before he had fully realised what was happening, he just enjoyed the warmth and the feeling of safety he got from being held. Then, his mind caught up to where he was and whom he was with, and it suddenly went into overdrive. 

He had never spent the night like that with anyone before, and the intimacy of it frightened him. Why? He didn’t really know, but now was not the time for introspection. Zero had to go, or he would have another panic attack very soon, and this was not acceptable. Jude had already seen him in such a state the day before and it was more than enough. 

He detangled himself from Jude as slowly as he could in order not to wake him. He then dressed silently and went out the room, feeling guiltier than ever for what he was doing to Jude, who would soon wake up… on his own, and would therefore imagine the worse. And he’d be right. Zero had gone away because he was panicking, as he always was when it came to his relationship with Jude. 

He went out, not bothering to put shoes on. He just wanted to get a bit of fresh air, hoping it would help him clear his mind… Fat chance of that happening, really. 

It went from bad to worse when he ran into Lionel right in front of the Mansion. 

“Hi, Zero… How are you doing?” 

“Peachy.” He answered, trying to sound convincing, but Lionel had always been hard to convince. 

“I don’t remember seeing you at the party yesterday.” She said, eyeing him. 

“Yeah… I stayed home, I wasn’t in the mood to party.” Zero replied, hoping she would leave it at that. Again, there was pretty little chance that this would happen. 

“Right… then what’s with the dishevelled hair and the clothes you’re wearing?” Lionel asked him. She seemed suspicious, and it wasn’t that surprising. Zero usually paid a lot of attention to how he looked, so it was bound to look strange to Lionel that his hair was a mess and that his clothes were all rumpled. 

“I… well I… I was out of hair spray” Zero lied. It must have been obvious, considering how he had stammered through his answer. 

“Right…” Lionel replied. Clearly, she didn’t believe Zero, and she was right not to. “And what about the clothes, then?” 

“Er… My iron is broken.” He said. Damn, why was it so hard to lie to Lionel? As if his iron being broken would stop him from looking impeccable. There was no way. He would have borrowed his sister’s, of fucking course!

“It doesn’t explain why you’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday…” Lionel remarked, crossing her arms over her chest. That was her warning him to stop with the bullshit, right there. 

“I… I… Okay, I… was with someone last night.” Zero finally admitted, knowing he would find no way out of the mess Lionel had dragged him in. 

“That’s more like it” Lionel smirked, looking like the cat which got the canary. “Who’s the lucky girl? She’s from the Institute I reckon?” 

She had seen Zero exiting the Mansion five minutes ago, so she knew he had to have spent the night with another mutant. 

“Er… I’d prefer not to talk about it…” Zero replied, “we’re trying to keep it quiet.” 

He knew it was a wrong thing to say: Lionel would not let it go until she found out who he was seeing, and if he refused to tell her, she’d find another way to get what she wanted. She was too curious for her own good (and for Zero’s. That was for sure). However, he couldn’t have possibly told her he was seeing Jude. No way in hell. 

“Does it mean it’s being going on for more than one night?” Lionel asked. She had to go and find a meaning Zero hadn’t even noticed in his own words. Damn, she was good. 

He cursed himself for his stupidity and tried to avoid answering. 

“Lionel, please, could we save the interrogation for another time? I’m really not in the mood.” 

Zero had other problems on his hands, problems which were all down to him and his inability to handle his freaking feelings. 

“I bet you’re not. You must be tired after such a night.” She teased. 

Zero glared at her, knowing it would do no good whatsoever. Lionel wasn’t easily intimidated. She was the intimidating one, after all. 

He got up and got back inside, since Lionel wouldn’t leave him alone. He heard her sarcastically wishing him a nice day, pointing out his lack of manners for leaving without even saying goodbye. If she wanted him to be polite with her, the only thing she had to do was stop pestering him. But, apparently, she wasn’t willing to do such a thing, so he certainly wouldn’t bother being civil. 

He was planning to go to his room, but he crossed path with Laura in the stairs. Was he cursed or something? 

“Hey, Zero… Are you okay?” Laura asked with concern. 

He had to keep it short and go back to avoiding her as soon as their conversation was over. He felt guilty for having avoiding her in the past few days, but he had no other choice. He wanted to get himself together before really talking to her again, because he knew she’d see right through him. She’d always been able to. 

“Yeah, yeah sure… What about you?” 

“Great… I was just worried, you know. Since Jude stayed at the Institute yesterday instead of going to the party… I thought that maybe you were sick or something” Laura explained. 

“Well, no. I’m fine, really.” Zero lied. 

He explained no further. He didn’t know if Laura knew Jude had stayed for him or if she had just assumed, since they were spending a lot of time together. Therefore, he thought the better way not to put his foot in was to avoid bringing anything up. 

“Okay… well, I’m glad.” She said tentatively, looking like she wanted to add something. 

Zero felt even worse because of the awkwardness of the encounter. It was all his fault. Now his sister felt as if she couldn’t talk to him freely, and the worst part was that she was right. 

“You can come to me if you ever want to talk or… I don’t know… hang out or something, you know?” 

“I know, yeah.” He assured her. “Thank you”. 

“Well… see you around.” She said awkwardly. Zero returned her farewell in an equally awkward manner.

“That was… weird.” Zero heard someone say from the top of the stairs. He looked up and saw Jude waiting there. The latter had not wanted to interrupt Zero and Laura’s conversation, so he had waited on top of the stairs… and he had heard what the siblings had told each other. 

“I know… It’s just… I’m kind of avoiding her these days because I’m hiding things from her, and I don’t feel comfortable being around her because of it.” Zero explained. 

“By ‘things’, you mean ‘us’, right?” Jude asked, arms crossed. 

Okay, the situation looked far from good to Zero right then. 

“Er… well, yeah… That and the fact that I’m bisexual all together.” He replied, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t risk being overheard. 

“So what? You’re going to avoid her forever?” Jude asked with a raised eyebrow. 

To Zero, it seemed that Jude’s level of hostility was rising by the second. 

“No… Of course not… I’m just, I don’t know how to tell her.” Zero stammered. He didn’t want to talk about that with Jude, because the latter was also directly concerned, and he didn’t want him to think he wasn’t important enough for Zero to tell his sister about him. It wasn’t how it was…

“Right…” Jude said, not sounding convinced. What was it with people not believing today? Had he become so bad at lying, suddenly? It used to be his forte, so it would be strange. 

Jude went past Zero in the stairs, looking mad at him. Zero made his decision in a split second and caught Jude’s arm to stop him from leaving. He felt cold wash over him at the contact but didn’t let go: he couldn’t let Jude go if he was mad at him. Not again. 

“Look Jude, I’m really sorry… I know I’m a mess right now, but I’ll do everything I can to sort it out, I promise…” He’d do it for Jude, but he didn’t say that because he was afraid it would be a bit much to take. 

“Zero… I know that you’re not really in a good place right now, and that you’re confused… But I’m tired of feeling like I don’t matter to you.” Jude replied. He had always felt like he didn’t matter to his parents, especially his father, so he’d be damned if he let the same thing happen with the man he liked. Either Zero liked him back and started showing it a bit more, either Jude would walk away. It would be hard for him, but he had too… For his own sake. 

Zero looked down, feeling like the biggest jerk on Earth. “You matter to me, Jude… You matter a lot.” More than he could imagine. 

“Then why does it feel like you’re doing everything to keep me separated from your life?” Jude asked. 

Zero looked a bit lost at that, so Jude continued, trying not to think about the fact they were having such a serious conversation in the stairs, of all places. 

“You don’t want to tell your sister about us… That, I can accept for the time being, I don’t want to pressure you into coming out if you’re not ready for it… But you could at least let me it a bit. I don’t know anything about you except from what your sister… your sister, Zero, not you… Told me about you. All I know is that you were raised in a foster home… I don’t know anything personal about you other than that… I don’t even know your real name, for God’s sake!” Jude ranted. He didn’t want to seem clingy or anything, but he couldn’t keep all of this inside anymore. 

Zero opened his mouth to say something, but he stayed silent, not knowing how to answer Jude. 

The latter pulled his hand away from Zero’s grasp and started going down the stairs. Apparently, he’d get no answer today… maybe he’d never get any, in fact. 

Zero, once his mind had caught up, ran to Jude and stopped on the steps right in front of him. 

“Gideon.” He just said, not knowing what else he could do to make things better. 

Jude frowned a bit, so Zero added: 

“My real name’s Gideon”

“Well, I’d like to get to know Gideon better, if he’s interested.” Jude paused, and then added a couple of words before leaving: “until then”.

He said it for Zero to know that he wouldn’t settle just for that. He’d have to give him a bit more if he wanted to keep being with him. But, he said it with a smile so he’d also know Jude was happy that Zero was finally starting to open up a bit. He didn’t want Zero to think he was mad at him. He wasn’t too happy about the secrecy thingy, for sure, but he could get used to it if Zero stopped with the “hot and cold” attitude. 

He didn’t know if things would change from now on… but he only had to wait and see, for time would most probably give him the answers he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter :) don't hesitate to tell me about what you thought, even if it's just a few words, I'll be really glad to hear about it ;)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at head-in-rainbows.tumblr.com (I'm also clumsy-fox, by the way, but now I'll be posting my fics on head-in-rainbows). You can message me if you want :) I think I'm a pretty friendly person so feel free to come and have a chat, I'd be glad :D


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